Aidan Brosnan and Mandy Salter
Aidan Brosnan and Mandy Salter were a couple whose relationship dominated EastEnders throughout 1993. They begun dating in January and Aidan dumped her in December due to her troublesome ways, so they dated almost a year. Here is their story. January 1993-December 1993 Aidan Brosnan was a 16 year old Irish football apprentice living with Arthur Fowler and Pauline Fowler at No 45 Albert Square in January 1993 when he begun dating neighbour Mandy Salter who lodged with Mark Fowler, son of Arthur and Pauline. Mandy became friends with the Fowlers, including Michelle Fowler and her daughter Vicki Fowler. She also was friends with Pete Beale and he sometimes let her mind his stall when he had other things to do. Mandy was more of a tearaway than Aidan. She even persuaded Aidan to skive off football practice so she could be with him. Aidan carried on lodging at the Fowlers. Aidan hurt his knee in a football match and had to require hospital treatment. In May 1993, Mandy and Aidan went to a nightclub and Aidan accidentally took drugs and ended up in hospital. He survived and was also told he may never play football again due to his bad knee. He wallowed in self pity until in late May 1993, he returned to Ireland, with Mandy hot on his trail. Mandy asked Mark to give her a lift to the ferry port. As she got on the back of his motorbike, she stuck her fingers up to Albert Square. But a month later, Mandy persuaded Aidan to return to England and to return to Albert Square, Walford, London again. In early July 1993 they were back in Albert Square. As they were troublemakers, Mark and Arthur would not allow them to carry on lodging so they begun squatting in Pete Beale's vacant flat in Walford Towers but were evicted. They then begun squatting in the derelict No 5 Albert Square and causing immense trouble. Mandy took odd jobs such as cleaning for Dr Legg at his surgery. She stole medical supplies to sell. Mandy also started clipping, which is pretending to be a prostitute then running off with the money and not performing with the client. Pat Butcher warned her of the dangers, as she was once on the game. Mandy was beaten up by 2 girls in Soho for trying to nick their clients and lose them money. Mandy kept leading Aidan astray. In October 1993, Mandy overheard Grant Mitchell tell Nigel Bates that his wife Sharon Mitchell finally told him who Vicki's father was, the late Den Watts, Sharon's adoptive father. Mandy told a horrified Pauline that Sharon's dad is Vicki's father. Pauline almost assaulted Mandy. Soon, a 7 year secret was all over the square, started by Grant asking Sharon who the father was, and Mandy overhearing Grant tell Nigel. For £10, Mandy took Roly for a walk but she took him off his lead and he run under a car and was killed. Mandy lied and said Roly slipped his lead. In November 1993, Aidan was blamed for robbing The Vic and roughed up by Grant. That month he got news from Ireland that his grandmother had died. Richard Cole had started the smear campaign against them, saying they were behind the robberies in the area. Cole then threw them out of their squat after buying the place to convert into flats. Aidan was then disowned by his family. Mandy found them a new place to squat, in the maintenance room on top of a towerblock where Mandy once lived, on the other side of Walford. Aidan became increasingly depressed, and he was sick and tired of squatting and being lead astray by Mandy. He even accidentally jabbed himself with a used syringe. On Christmas Day 1993, Aidan contemplated suicide when he considered jumping off the roof of the towerblock. She managed to talk him out of it, and they embraced and they slept the night in the boiler room and even tried to find local dosshouses. On the 28th December 1993, Aidan finally decided Mandy was not right for him so he said he was finished with her and was going to return to Ireland by himself, this time for good, and never return to England. He was sick of sleeping rough and living like an animal. He had planned to quietly leave but Mandy caught him before he went. As he walked down the stairwell to head to the ferry port Mandy said "But I love you". Aidan kept walking away. Mandy returned to Albert Square that afternoon and was seen sobbing on the pavement in the rain by Pauline Fowler who took her in. All Mandy had left of Aidan was a photo of him. Mandy's loneliness and departure from Walford, January 1994 Mandy stayed with Arthur and Pauline and saw in New Year 1994 sad and lonely after being dumped by Aidan. Word got round to Aidan's friends that Aidan had gone back to Ireland and it was over between him and Mandy. Arthur said he cares a lot for Mandy, more than she thinks. He even gave her handouts. Mandy had a go at Tricky Dicky for evicting them from the squat and making them sleep rough, and making Aidan contemplate suicide then dump her and return to Ireland forever. She said that no one wanted to know her when she was with Aidan but now he has gone, everyone is ready to do her a favour. Mandy started to see comfort in Ricky Butcher. They even spent a day together touring London. They returned to Albert Square that night and had a one night stand. The next day, on January 13th 1994, Mandy was told by Pauline that an elderly relative Nellie Ellis was coming to stay with her and Arthur. Mandy said "Oh I see. Time for the travelling Mandy Roadshow is it?" Pauline said Mandy staying with them was only meant for a few days but she can stay until the weekend, to give her time to find somewhere else. That same day Ricky wanted another date with Mandy but she said that during their one night stand last night all she could think of was Aidan. She blamed herself for driving him away so she rejected Ricky's further advances. Ricky called her a bitch and she said she never wants to see him again. With no Aidan, no Ricky, and being told she was to find another place to live by Pauline, and too many bad memories of Walford, that night Mandy decided it was time to leave Walford herself so she stole Pauline's purse and headed for the motorway and hitched a ride up North, leaving Albert Square well and truly behind her. Pauline was angry at Mandy for taking her purse and doing a runner after everything they did for her. By mid January 1994, everyone in Albert Square wondered why Mandy had disappeared suddenly but most people were relieved that the square would resume some peacefulness now the troublesome Mandy and Aidan had left the area. By mid January 1994, the Mandy and Aidan era of the show was well and truly over. After her departure Mandy was mentioned by Sanjay Kapoor in June 1994, 5 months after her departure. Sanjay had moved into one of the flats that Tricky converted from the old squat that Mandy and Aidan lived in at No 5. The flats had rats and the renovation works was below standard. Mark threw Sanjay an apple saying he looked like he needed it and Sanjay said "I am not Mandy you know". In August 2011, 18 years after her departure, Mandy did return to Albert Square after being rescued by old neighbour Ian Beale from someone she owed money to. She asked Ian if he ever heard anything from Aidan and he said no. She then moved back to Albert Square. Category:EastEnders Double Acts